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A daily G+ practice sign-up?

Hi... I'm posting on the open forum because I think this is about zazen ... and daily
practice. hope that's ok

The current way that sittings happens on G+ is that different people are sitting at different times daily.. or when
they get a chance. It is loose and open, which is great. On the other hand there tends to be a lot of
sitting alone on a hang-out, which others then see has happened, ...and that can be encouraging. However I was
wondering if there is any interest in also having a more regular daily sit on G+ that we can "sign-up" for. It
would not be rigid in that way, but would be another option requiring more of a comittment. Perhaps there could
be two sits daily to accommodate different times zones? The idea is that everything would not be so scattershot.. and
people will know that it can be relied on, and that others will be there to share practice... It can't be
convenient for everyone.. and I for one will adapt to an inconvenient time if it suits other people.

So is there any interest in finding a common daily practice time we can rely on?

I am up for that. Choosing two times a day will not solve the issue with so many time zones and those (me) that work shift work. However, having a few times set each day that people can aim for would be nice.

John, start adding people you know from treeleaf (like me Shawn leahy) when you see friends in hang outs entitled zazen.. Feel free to join. Or create your own hang out and invite all your friends. If they are online they can join. You will get the hang of it. I believe there are some forum topics that cover this.

I think its pretty accurate (just Myozan zazen is scheduled wrong and the Dokan morning zazen is about right but I think not with Dokan usually ),
there is also an evening zazen besides the already noted Monge and Myozan ones which is often 19:30 GMT, but its irregular and not in the calendar yet.

Nice work John on the Google+ setup, I got your request and I have added you to my Treeleaf circle.

Gassho
Michael

Got you back too John. For new people here, the general membership (that's me too), Treeleaf presents mainly as an internet forum. It is the best Buddhist forum, but in my experience the very nature of the board... all the words, alienates just as much as it connects. The you I know through this board can't hold a candle to silently bowing, sitting, and the sound of a bell. The Treeleaf G+ is a real breakthrough in sharing practice... it is wonderful... wonderful as is, but if there is interest in getting something really dependable going in daily group practice. I would like to find a way. If there isn't then cest la vie, thats ok too.

I think its pretty accurate (just Myozan zazen is scheduled wrong and the Dokan morning zazen is about right but I think not with Dokan usually ),
there is also an evening zazen besides the already noted Monge and Myozan ones which is often 19:30 GMT, but its irregular and not in the calendar yet.

and to finally come to the very point, yes, I feel it would good to have "certain times"!
_()_
Myoku

Hi Myoko . I know all about the calendar... it is the "certain times"... I'm thinking of, as well as some kind of regular commitment, instead of just a drop in. It is worth trying to get something to gel..IMHO.

This is a very important challenge for us to pick up in the months to come, to provide daily sittings led by our priests. I will do my very best to make things move in that direction.
I am planning to organize extra whole sitting days for people inteterested and my students. One next Spring. Two next Summer.

Lately I haven't been able to find anyone on g+ during my sitting periods. I wouldn't call my times tightly scheduled, due to having a full house or people running about, dogs, cats, etc.. but they're near the same times every day. Once in the morning, once in the evening. It would be nice if something was scheduled, maybe I could organize that with the rest of the household.. Until then, I'll keep sitting and if anyone joins, that's great.

Yugen & I are planning to host silent sewing a couple times a week where people could also feel free to sit. We're working on the logisitics, but at the moment we're aiming for one afternoon and one evening per week. Once we decide on times and days of the week, we'll post to the schedule.

Gassho,
Dosho

Ordained Priest -In-TrainingPlease take what I say with a grain of salt,
especially in matters of the Dharma!

This is a very important challenge for us to pick up in the months to come, to provide daily sittings led by our priests. I will do my very best to make things move in that direction.
I am planning to organize extra whole sitting days for people inteterested and my students. One next Spring. Two next Summer.

This is wonderful news!

I'll join the group sittings!

I sit everyday, but I do it really early in the morning. And then there's my noisy computer. I have to put it to sleep to have some silence.

If we launch the group sittings I'll have to make do with the noise.

Thanks, Taigu!

Gassho,

Kyonin

Please remember I am only a priest in training. I could be wrong in everything I say. Slap me if needed.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. Mr. Spock

This is a very important challenge for us to pick up in the months to come, to provide daily sittings led by our priests. I will do my very best to make things move in that direction.
I am planning to organize extra whole sitting days for people inteterested and my students. One next Spring. Two next Summer.

Gassho

Taigu

Thank you Taigu, I would be very interested.

Gassho
Michael

倫道 真現

As a trainee priest, please take any commentary by me on matters of the Dharma with a pinch of salt.

Thanks for bringing this subject to the table again, Kojip. I agree that G+ adds a bit of substance to the forum. I think it also helps when talking about Treeleaf with others. Before, when we used a variety of video conferencing software, people seemed confused by the whole thing.

I'm primarily an evening sitter, and am willing to commit to 9pm EST or 9:30EST daily if that would work for anyone. Of course, there are months where I rotate to night shift but that's beside the point. 10pm is a bit late, as I have to wake up early.

Very excited about the full day sitting idea, and looking forward to participating. I hope they'll be available as recorded versions, for those of us who may not be able to make it on a given day. I'll add a few of the folks on here to my regular sitters circle. I've stopped inviting all folks in the Treeleaf circle awhile ago; most don't sit on G+, so I figured I'd stop harassing them with daily hangout requests.

Great idea Kojip,I believe you, Shawn and myself are in the same time zone...maybe that would be a way to organize sitting times? Either way I am interested!

Gassho, Shawn Jakudo Hinton
It all begins when we say, “I”. Everything that follows is illusion.
"Even to speak the word Buddha is dragging in the mud soaking wet; Even to say the word Zen is a total embarrassment."
寂道

I'll add a few of the folks on here to my regular sitters circle. I've stopped inviting all folks in the Treeleaf circle awhile ago; most don't sit on G+, so I figured I'd stop harassing them with daily hangout requests.

If you just make sure when starting the hangout to invite all treeleafers that will not disturb anyone, it just makes it visible in their stream. If we keep the treeleaf circle just for sitting, be it zazenkai or zazen in groups (or alone for that matter), then the stream just shows who is/was sitting.

If you just make sure when starting the hangout to invite all treeleafers that will not disturb anyone, it just makes it visible in their stream. If we keep the treeleaf circle just for sitting, be it zazenkai or zazen in groups (or alone for that matter), then the stream just shows who is/was sitting.

I don't mind the invitations at all. I often try to join when I can and see them if anything as an incentive to sit more. I really enjoy sitting with Sangha mates.

Gassho.
Chris

I agree. Though lately I've been having connectivity issues so I've been sitting without the google machine. I think it has something to do with my son reactivating his PS3 to the same router. E v e r eee theeeng isss go ing s l o o o owwww.

One tip: If you use G+ for a sit and no one else shows up, it won't show up in anyone's feed unless you comment on your own post. Otherwise it's like it never happened! I usually switch over to the main feed and post a comment like "Gassho" before I shut the Hangout window. That way, people know when you sat last and when you may be likely to sit again.

Gassho,
Dosho

Ordained Priest -In-TrainingPlease take what I say with a grain of salt,
especially in matters of the Dharma!

I'm trying to update the membership on the Treeleaf Sangha G+ page. There are a number of outstanding requests, but I am not able to verify if those requests are coming from members. Please note that unless you use your member name here at Treeleaf or have the same avatar over at G+, we have no way of knowing if you are a registered member. So, if you have made a request but have not yet been added, please let me know.

Thank you!

Gassho,
Dosho

Ordained Priest -In-TrainingPlease take what I say with a grain of salt,
especially in matters of the Dharma!

I've been experimenting with using Google plus without much luck. When I click on "start a hangout" nothing happens (and I am signed in). I've read the link that Kojip provided and I've got a Treeleaf circle with members in it. Are there some other links or postings that will help? Thanks everyone.

I've been experimenting with using Google plus without much luck. When I click on "start a hangout" nothing happens (and I am signed in). I've read the link that Kojip provided and I've got a Treeleaf circle with members in it. Are there some other links or postings that will help? Thanks everyone.

Hi Jack. I'm not sure what link you are talking about, but it sounds like you should be able to start a hangout. Maybe someone with more tech knowledge has a suggestion?

Looking over the responses.. It will be great to have daily scheduled sittings lead by the ordained sangha. In the mean time I'll just keep a non-new-year's resolution to sit 6:30 -7:10 am EST everyday come rain or shine, alone or with others , on G+.

I've been experimenting with using Google plus without much luck. When I click on "start a hangout" nothing happens (and I am signed in). I've read the link that Kojip provided and I've got a Treeleaf circle with members in it. Are there some other links or postings that will help? Thanks everyone.

This sound like a more basic technical issue, not releated to the treeleaf circle. Have a look at

Why don't we start by showing our GMT (Greenwich Median Time) In the Eastern US I am at GMT -5 as is Kojip. Lay of the group by time zones.
This way we can see when to make a sitting that might overlap several members. Porbably not all of us can sit at once but the HANGOUT can be re-used later by others. We could pick a weekend hour where all can come even for 5 minutes.....
I have followed Jundo by just replaying his sitting.
I need to get more savy about it as we all should...but as it has already been ready said, we got time for it this year to incorporate sittings accross the clock and the around the world.
Hey, I am light years ahead of where I was a few months back.

Let's do this.

Gassho,
Ed

Last edited by Ed; 01-03-2013 at 01:23 AM.

"Know that the practice of zazen is the complete path of buddha-dharma and nothing can be compared to it....it is not the practice of one or two buddhas but all the buddha ancestors practice this way."
Dogen zenji in Bendowa

Hello guys,
we're currently in the preparation of creating a Treeleaf "Community" at Google+, which will simplify the process of getting connected to each other, probably all is ready in about a week. We will also have a short guide explaining this. One important change is that the "Community" should _not_ be used for announcing times anymore (as its being done currently be some people, which I fully understand); the point is that the "Community" should be our Zendo, so there is "zazen-hangouts only". To announce your sitting time and share it with others we will recommend either the treeleaf calendar or the google+ calendar, because this way we have it at _one_ place (currently its either here in the forum, at g+ stream, in g calendar or here in the calendar). We just need a few more days to figure whats going to work best ... so please just be patient a few more days
Gassho
Myoku

Looking over the responses.. It will be great to have daily scheduled sittings lead by the ordained sangha. In the mean time I'll just keep a non-new-year's resolution to sit 6:30 -7:10 am EST everyday come rain or shine, alone or with others , on G+.

Gassho, kojip

We are close in times Kojip, but I gotta sit at 5:30AM so as to be at work on time.
I opened a Hangout, but I wait until a general Treeleaf Hangout opens and we can sit with that.

"Know that the practice of zazen is the complete path of buddha-dharma and nothing can be compared to it....it is not the practice of one or two buddhas but all the buddha ancestors practice this way."
Dogen zenji in Bendowa

I'm glad I read this thread and your post Myoku. I signed up on G+ and eventually found the Treeleaf page but didn't know what to do after that. Looking forward to sitting in with everyone when I have the chance!

Hello guys,
we're currently in the preparation of creating a Treeleaf "Community" at Google+, which will simplify the process of getting connected to each other, probably all is ready in about a week. We will also have a short guide explaining this. One important change is that the "Community" should _not_ be used for announcing times anymore (as its being done currently be some people, which I fully understand); the point is that the "Community" should be our Zendo, so there is "zazen-hangouts only". To announce your sitting time and share it with others we will recommend either the treeleaf calendar or the google+ calendar, because this way we have it at _one_ place (currently its either here in the forum, at g+ stream, in g calendar or here in the calendar). We just need a few more days to figure whats going to work best ... so please just be patient a few more days
Gassho
Myoku